Two Way Mirror
by Windpick
Summary: Arthur is the average boy and he always will be. Alfred is the flashy new kid that everyone wants to be. When Alfred shows up in Arthur's first period, he can't help but feel jealous of the new kid, when all Alfred wants is some warmth.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur looked out his bedroom window with the same bored expression he always had. The wind blew through the trees making the same shallow noise they always made. His alarm clock ticked away at the same frequency it always did. Everything was the same in Arthur Kirkland's life. He lived with his brother Francis who always made the same insults and his mother who always told him the same things. "You are very special Arthur. No one can ever tell you different, yeah?" He mimicked her as he returned to that night's homework. The old, worn out desk creaked as he leaned on it.

Arthur just wished he could have something nice to show off.

Ever since he was a little kid, Arthur had been getting Francis' hand-me-downs. "But mum! I'm older than Francis!" he would complain. It was the same answer every time. Francis was much bigger than Arthur. Everything Arthur ever got was worn out and dull by the time he had gotten it.

Arthur sighed from the feeling his memories gave him. After finishing his homework, he laid out his clothes and took his socks off like every other night and got in bed. After lying in bed for a few minutes he rubbed his eyes realizing he wasn't falling asleep any time soon. When will something new come along? Will I always be stuck like this? The thought of always being just average frustrated Arthur. He wanted to have the exciting life of someone else.

Someone like him! A new boy from America was leaning against the wall asking the teacher where he would sit in the class. The teacher had told the class previously that they would have a new exchange student coming. Arthur had been excited every day after that. He was ready for the new change! But what he felt now looking at the boy... was not happy. It wasn't excitement. It was the thin feeling of… jealousy? Well it makes sense Arthur thought to himself. He probably has lots of exciting stories of America! And just look at his clothes!

The new boy was tall with a tousle of hair that nearly stuck straight up in the front. His eyes were sky blue and reminded Arthur of the ocean he had only seen in movies. He had thin, stylish glasses with no rims and a look that screamed energy and confidence. He wore a grey undershirt and a black and teal cardigan over top. His jeans nicely fit down to the ankles where they bunched over his brand new converses. He had a leather messenger bag that looked nice enough to be imported from Italy.

Arthur tried not to stare as the new boy took the seat directly in from of him. He could smell cologne coming from the boy's body. It smelled so sweet; he almost leaned over to take in a better whiff. He blushed at the thought. Everyone in the class knew Arthur wasn't the straightest shooter out there, but it would just break the peace if he acted it. Some of the girls in the class turned to watch the American take his seat. They would giggle when he shot them a smile. "Okay class, this is Alfred Jones. He will be joining us from now on," informed the teacher, dully.

Throughout the class, Arthur watched Alfred as he did his work. What kind of stuff does he like? What does he not like? What is his family like? Will I ever get the chance to talk to him? All of the questions raced through Arthur's mind, but he acted on none of them. Better to let Alfred come to him. Scaring someone off on his first day of school is generally frowned upon. But even with all these impulses, Arthur still felt a pang of jealousy over this boy. With every question Alfred got correct, the jealousy slightly grew. What was bothering him?

Alfred could feel the eyes boring holes into him from all sides. Especially the pair behind him. For most people, this would faze them. But not Alfred. He thrived under pressure. Every question the teacher hurtled at him was answered right on beat. Every girl that looked at him got his charming smile. Even though the class was particularly boring, Alfred had perfected the art of seeming interested at all times. With Lawyers for parents, it was an easy trait to acquire. Throughout the day he picked up someone to call a friend or two, but not anyone he was actually interested in. It took something special for Alfred to notice someone.

Alfred's family had just moved from Washington D.C. for a promotion at law firm in London, England. On the surface, it was the perfect picket fence family. A confident, hit-em-hard lawyer father, an intelligent and dignified lawyer mother, and their two beautiful, blonde twin boys lived in large flat just outside of downtown. Life was easy. Friends came flocking. Grades were never below B's. Everyone was always smiling.

On the outside, at least.

Alfred felt so artificial it made him sick. No one understood that he was forced to be the way he was. He was constantly under the spotlight of his parents, being dissected. Every one of his flaws were put under a microscope and burned with a laser. His parents coached every aspect of him, and if anything were sub par, there would be hell to pay.

So, deep down inside, while everyone was smiling and waving at the perfection that was Alfred Jones, he felt nothing more than empty. The path his parents had set him on was cold and lonely. It was the kind of place you imagine lost things going. It's the place you put things you wouldn't miss. Alfred often thought of himself as a nice painting. He was something someone else created, something people admired for a while, and something of no value. And so on the walk home, Alfred thought back to all of the people he had met that day. There was a nice girl in his math class. She had accidentally bumped into him and looked genuinely sorry when she apologized. There was a teacher that had actually been sympathetic to him starting half way through the year. But the one thing he really remembered, the one thing that seemed the most real to him, was the pair of green eyes that burned the back of his neck in first period.


	2. Chapter 2

When Alfred finally got home he was greeted by the warm smell of cinnamon. No, his mother wasn't baking. She didn't know how to cook. Not like she cared or anything. It was one of the half dozen candles placed throughout the house to make it seem like a family actually lived there. Down the hall, Alfred could hear his father on a business call. He was acting rather passionate about some unimportant client's problems like always. After setting his bag down he hurried up the stares and jumped onto his bed. He picked up the little black remote and turned on his TV to the news for some background noise. He sat there for a while listening to the list of crimes that had happened that week.

Seeing as he had no homework, Alfred aimlessly walked around the house until he reached his brother's room. "Hey, Mattie," he said, "I'm bored. You got anything to do?"

Mathew looked up. For no reason at all, Alfred remarked silently just how similar they looked. Both had thin faces and the same blonde hair in nearly the same style, though Matthew's was softer and messier. Both had blue eyes and glasses. Their appearances were nearly the same. The only difference between them was their attitude. Matthew was much more shy and quiet than Alfred.

"I'm sorry, Alfred. I'm a little busy right now with homework. Didn't you get any?" he asked in an innocent voice.

"No, course not! I've got all the teachers eating out of my hands and it's only been one day! You should really take some lessons from me! Maybe it would get you a girl or something," Alfred remarked.

Matthew flinched a bit. His brother was always saying things like that. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

Just then their mother called. "Alfred Jones! Get your ass down here!"

With a heavy sigh, Alfred ran down the stairs to see what was wrong.

"Yeah, mom?" he asked. His mother was standing next to his bag that sat on the floor by the door.

"How many times have I told you to keep your stuff off of the floor?" she asked, as if talking to a child.

"I'm sorry mom. I forgot."

"You forgot? This is nearly the tenth time I have told you! If this is how you deal with small things what will your life decisions be like? "I forgot" doesn't feed a family. "I forgot" doesn't pay the bills. "I forgot" doesn't get you into the college you want. Speaking of which, what were you doing just now? Don't you have homework you need to do?" his mother was always going on like this. It really pissed Alfred off.

"I didn't have any," he replied through tight lips.

"What do you mean none? Every class you take is an advanced class. What kind of advanced class teacher doesn't assign homework? When I was in school, the teachers would give us two hours of homework every night," she went on. "Look at me, mister. If I find out you were lying, it wont be good. One bad grade and we will have to talk. Understand? Oxford doesn't accept B grade students. Now clean up this mess and get ready for dinner."

"Yes, dictator," Alfred said under his breath.

This was ridiculous. How could she be so hard on him? No one ever yelled at Mattie like that. Just him. And he knew why too. It wasn't worry for her son. It wasn't to help him fulfill his goals. It was to make her look better. To improve the family name. The Jones family! Look how wonderful! Everything was looks to Alfred's parents. He couldn't remember the last time he had hugged someone. Not that he would want an icy cold plastic figure wrapped around him. The thought of embracing the people who he only referred to as "mom" and "dad" made him sick. They were just shells of what they should be.

Dinner was served not too long later. It was the only time that day when the whole family got together. But it was not like usual family dinners. Just another chance for the drill sergeants to quiz the privates.

"…and if ever addressed by an employer, be sure to stand and shake his hand," his father droned. How could one man be so emotionally disconnected? Alfred looked over at Mattie. He didn't seem to be eating much when he slid his plate towards Alfred and quietly asked him to finish it.

"Sure thing, Mattie," Alfred had already finished his food. As he stabbed at the food and began to take a bite, he realized he was being watched. His mother was looking with a questioning spark in her eyes.

"What?" he asked, lowering the fork.

"Nothing, its just… Were you really going to eat that?" his mother questioned as if he should know the answer.

"Um… yeah. Is there something wrong with that?"

Matthew looked nervously between the both of them.

"Oh nothing. Its just that don't you think you should lay off the calories? You may not have noticed but the rest of us have. Bigger isn't always better, and frankly, I don't want to buy any clothes for you because the old ones don't fit," she nearly spit at him. "Here. Give that to me," she ordered as she took the plate and threw it out. Alfred was stunned.

He could feel his cheeks grow hotter as he looked down at his midsection. It was just a little true. He did have a small amount of pudge building up but it was nothing that required a public announcement. With the winter coming up, Alfred realized he had been slacking off on his sit-ups. He did thirty of them every morning but with the hard wood floors gradually becoming colder he had decided to stop. But what was that? Alfred became angrier as he thought of what his mother had just said. She had no room to speak because we all know that _she_ wasn't getting any thinner. "You know, Alfred, you'll never get a girl like that," she said in a condescending tone. With that Alfred snapped.

"What the hell?! What kind of person are you? You don't go around telling people they gained weight!" he yelled.

"Excuse me?" his father stood up, "That is no way to speak to your mother."

"My _mother?_ For my whole life she has been acting more like a dictator than anything else!"

"A dictator? You don't know what a dictator is. When I was your age, I'd get a slap for every second I stood up to my parents!" Alfred's father yelled back.

"But do you hear what she's saying? The _way_ she's saying it?" Alfred questioned.

"Yes. And all I see is a mother disciplining her child. No sit down!"

This wasn't the first tie Alfred and his parents had fought over this. In fact, he couldn't count how many times this had happened. Alfred couldn't help but laugh at how high and mighty his father sounded. "You're just a tall man in a suit with big, fat pay check! Someone who gave up his life for looks. Someone who married… that!" Alfred motioned to his mother. Her face visibly contorted to something like a monster from child's book.

"I'd watch your tone if I were you! That kind of disrespect will not be tolerated in this household!"

Alfred started laughing from the despair he felt. He couldn't help but think of all the times his parents had done nothing more than acted to part of responsible role models. "Oh, yeah! Cause this is actually a home! What are you gonna do to me? You can't kick me out! That would cause too big of a stain!"

Almost immediately Alfred's father slapped him across the face.

"Go to your room. I don't want to see your face again," he said in an all too calm tone.

With tears in his eyes, Alfred spun on his heal and made his way to his room. He had never been slapped like that before.

The night had been sleepless for Arthur. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Alfred. How his eyes sparkled the one time he looked in his direction. How his clothes had seemed so fresh and new. How his laugh sounded. Even how he smelled. The scent covered him now. Every breath reminded Arthur of the perfect new kid. It was perfect really. It smelled like a cinnamon and vanilla mixed to create a spicy yet soothing aroma that could calm even the most high strung person. And as the moon circled over heard, Arthur continued to think. How did Alfred get to be so great? How come they hadn't talked yet? How come Arthur couldn't be like that? He thought about the pajamas he was wearing right now, faded blue with even lighter blue stripes. The knees were almost worn out from constant use. The top three buttons were missing and no replacement was to be found. And once again they were Francis' first. Their dear mother who was the only one currently supporting the family saw no reason to waste money on better clothes when you could always hand things down. It made Arthur angry. Why couldn't he have better things like Alfred? He was positive Alfred was sleeping in something softer than this course material. Something not in the need of stitches. A passing train brought Arthur out of these thoughts just enough to realize he was clenching his teeth.

When Arthur arrived to first period he was almost disappointed to not see Alfred there. After asking around and getting some strange looks from the more conservative kids he found out Alfred was in the bathroom. With a sigh of relief Arthur sat in his seat just in time for class to start but he never focused on the teacher. His eyes flicked back and forth between the clock and the door. Its not like he had anything to say to Alfred. He just really wanted to see him. Alfred seemed to be the one refreshing thing of the day. The thought of this small piece of perfection being late to class made Arthur a little annoyed. It meant that maybe Alfred was flawed. Maybe Arthur could never be a piece of something great like that. With brows furrowed he raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom. While traveling down the hall he thought of all the possibilities. Some of them scared him a little bit and he blushed when he realized how obsessive he was being. Also at the thought of walking in on something inappropriate. When he reached the bathroom he slowly pushed the door open and what he saw next confirmed his fear. Alfred had a flaw.

The tall boy was bent over a toilet and jabbing a toothbrush down his throat. The smell of vomit hit Arthur's nose as Alfred looked up. His eyes were watery and bloodshot. His cheeks and forehead were red as well. Arthur couldn't move as Alfred stood up and whipped his mouth with the back of his hand. Both boys just stood still for a while after that. Almost a minute passed when Alfred made the first move to the sink to swish water through his mouth and swallow three tic tacks. Arthur walked over and put a shaking hand on the others back lightly. "What was that?" he asked quietly.

Alfred's back trembled with a silent sob as he kept his head down. "Its nothing…"

"But what I just saw… I mean… are you okay?" Arthur asked. He was almost too shocked to understand what was happening.

"I said its nothing. Just leave me alone." Alfred said as he started to leave.

"W-wait!" Arthur almost yelled as he dug out a paper and a pen, "Take this. Its my phone number. I don't know why you would call me but you can have it," he said almost shoving the paper at him. Arthur blushed and quickly turned around to head back to class. What had he just done?


	3. Chapter 3

What had happened?! Arthur buried his face into his pillow. His ears were burning and red. Today which was supposed to be something of an event to Arthur had turned out to be one of the most embarrassing days of his life. Walking in on the boy he liked… what was he thinking?! And after all that he had given his phone number. Arthur buried his head further when he felt warm wetness touch his cheeks. _He probably thinks I'm an idiot now! _Arthur thought. He sat up with furrowed brows and wiped his eyes. "It doesn't matter," he said allowed. Who would like him anyway? Arthur pulled out his journal and wrote down what had happened. He did this every day right after school.

_I met him today. I really did! Unfortunately I had to go and screw everything up like always. Even if it wasn't my fault what he was doing, I shouldn't have been so obsessive. He probably thinks I'm stupid or something. There is absolutely no chance of him ever liking me now. I can feel it. But it doesn't matter. It really doesn't. I know that I'll be alone for quite a while. Francis still teases me about never having anyone. He says the caterpillars on my face scare all the girls away. Too bad he doesn't know I like boys. Isn't it funny? I talk to my journal more than anyone else in the world! I spent the rest of today avoiding any confrontation with him. Or anyone else he talked to for that matter. But I'm a little curious. He seemed just fine when he returned from the bathroom. It was like nothing had happened at all! I hope that's a good thing… Maybe he will call. I swear to god I'll kill myself if I say anything even remotely inappropriate. I don't think I can handle any more embarrassment…_

Arthur's writing trailed off as he absently checked his phone. No messages had come in. Arthur could feel a huge wave of sarcasm coming on. He was defiantly not in the mood when Francis came barging in. "Well hello there big brother!" he said with much enthusiasm, "What do we have here?" He was looking right at the journal Arthur was about to put away. "An elephant. What do you think, fool?" Arthur replied sharply. "Ouch. Now that hurts!" Francis replied rubbing his cheek. This was much too dramatic for Arthur's taste. Setting the journal down on the bed, he stood up and eyed Francis, "What do you want?"

"Nothing, fuzzy. Mom just left for her third shift. I'm making dinner," Francis replied as he reached for the journal, but Arthur slid it further out of reach. "What? No reading material when I make us a gourmet feast?" he looked almost sad. Arthur knew better. "You're not getting your hands on this. And I can make my own dinner!" he protested. The laugh that came next made Arthur bristle. "I think the fire department has enough to worry about!" The one time Arthur had ever cooked anything –when he was six might I add- he had caused a small oven fire. Nothing was damaged but the memory was never forgotten. It was just so annoying the way Francis always brought it up though.

After a silent dinner spent glaring at the delicious food Arthur went back upstairs and checked his phone again. He hadn't taken it with him because he thought of how wonderful it would feel to see that someone had texted him while he was gone. It may seem desperate but to Arthur, it was the light of his day seeing that someone had to wait for him instead of the other way around. And low and behold… there was a message for him! Arthur's heart started to beat right in his ears. His stomach turned just a little when he saw it was Alfred who had sent him a message almost ten minutes beforehand. He only knew it was Alfred because it came up as a random number his phone didn't know. "This is perfect!" he said aloud, wincing when he realized Francis might have heard him. It didn't matter what the message said now because no matter what he replied it wouldn't seem like he was answering too quickly or too late. While mentally berating himself for fretting so much, he read the message. One sentence had been typed out. "Hey, its Alfred." At the confirmation of the sender, Arthur felt his stomach flutter. _What should I say?_ he thought as he bit his thumb nail. Quickly he typed "Hi" and threw his phone across the room. It hit the floor with a thud. What was that for? Nerves were making Arthur jumpy.

"What was _that?_" Francis yelled up the stairs.

"Its nothing!" he yelled back, jumping when the phone vibrated again. He quickly ran over to read the contents of the message.

_Just wanted to say thanks for your number. Sorry about this morning…_

Red-hot embarrassment swept through Arthur's body. Perfection had just apologized to him! Well, near perfection… but that didn't matter! The object of all of Arthur's desires had just thanked him! Really _thanked _him! It must be a dream! More like a nightmare he thought as he racked his brain for what to say next. He didn't want to sound too casual because Alfred might think he didn't care. He couldn't seem too worried or it might scare him away. Eventually –after waiting the right amount of time- he settled on a simple "Don't worry about it. "

Alfred smiled seeing the incoming text message. He was lying out on his bed staring at the ceiling when he first thought to text the boy. Of course the idea was nerve racking. Arthur had seen him do that terrible thing this morning! In Alfred's mind though it was a necessary act. With what had happened the night before he had come up with that decision rather easily. It was much easier to succumb to his parents' will than to defy it all the time. But even after all the purging he still felt heavy and unworthy. He needed something real to lighten his mood. Alfred was excited thinking of all the things he wanted to do. First he wanted to befriend Arthur. He wanted to go to soccer games, _football_ he corrected himself, and take him to movies, and grab a slice of pizza, and all sorts of things friends did. It was a completely new idea for him!

Even though people had always desired Alfred, it was always in secret. It was always covered by envy. Back in America people didn't like being showed up. At least the people he had known. And even if someone had wanted to be friends, his mother certainly never allowed it! The public school Alfred had gone to did not offer anything worthy enough in his mother's eyes. Not even Mattie and him could go out much. Better to stay home and collect dust. But now being here, at this private school in London, Alfred was free to pursue whomever he desired! It was a brave new world.

_So what's up?_

Alfred didn't know what else to say. He desperately wanted to talk to this boy in person. He wanted to apologize for being so curt with him earlier. But that would have to wait until a better time. Alfred was sure that saying too much would scare Arthur away. And so, frustrated, Alfred stalked out of his room and lay down on his twin's bed, propping his head with a pillow. "Did ya make any friends, Mattie?" he asked. Matthew quickly closed the screen he was looking at from his monitor. It was only a little suspicious but he turned around with a sigh. "Not really," he replied. A small smile crept onto his face.

"Oh, yeah?" Alfred asked with squinting eyes.

"Yeah!"

"Then why are you smiling?"

"No reason really…"

Alfred faked a gasp "Does Mattie like someone?"

"N-no! Leave me alone," he replied slightly blushing. Alfred and Matthew were close, but not close enough to tell secrets like that. But Alfred didn't need confirmation. He could tell just by looking that shy little Matthew had found someone he liked. With a laugh he checked his phone again. No message. Matthew noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"What about you?"

"Who me? I guess so! But we have never talked before. He just kinda… gave me his number." Alfred trailed off, face hardening at the thought of that morning.

"Oh, okay. That's cool. What's his name?"

"I'm pretty sure its Arthur or something. Like I said, we have never talked."

Matthew looked confused. "Then isn't it a little weird that he would give you his number?"

"I guess so. But he seems nice enough so I don't really care. Although I don't think the other kids liked him too much."

"Why do you say that?"

"When some other people asked me why he followed me to the… I mean… I don't know. I heard some people talking is all. Apparently he's annoying or something. I don't see it," nerves tugged at Alfred's stomach as he hoped Matthew wouldn't notice his slip up. Or at least not bring it up. He could only imagine what kinds of things would be said if his family found out. Thankfully Matthew just blew over it.

"Aw. Well be nice to him. He probably needs it," Mattie was always so nice.

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred replied just as his phone vibrated.

Alfred had gotten to school early so that he could purge that nights meal in peace. He didn't want any more mishaps. After taking several mints, he slung on his messenger bag and headed to class even though he was still 10 minutes early. More people had gathered in the halls by this time as opposed to the empty corridors that Alfred had walked through earlier. Empty schools were always scary to Alfred. They reminded him of the horror movies he would rent and force Matthew to watch with him. He could never watch alone. They were much too scary! He could remember the last time he watched Orphan. He almost threw the popcorn in the air at one part. Shaking his head, Alfred focused on what was on the board, adjusting his glasses. It was just a list of things they would do that day so he sat down pulling out some paper and started to doodle. Alfred liked watching quick draw videos so he was okay at art.

When the bell rang Alfred blushed when he realized he was drawing someone who really resembled Arthur. After stacking some papers in front of it to hide the embarrassing artwork he sat up straight and watched the other people walk into the room. Like his first two days, Alfred received plenty of smiles from the girls. He had learned some of their names by now. Belle, a shorter girl who always wore a bow in her long hair, Juana, a Mexican girl who had come from America just like Alfred, and Elizabeth, a tomboy with a pretty face, all stood out the most in Alfred's mind. He had figured he would be attracted to one of them, what with all the flirting they had done, but oddly enough he didn't really feel anything special. Alfred had never thought about dating much so it didn't worry him.

Although, it was a little surprising when his heart started beating faster when he saw Arthur walk through the door! They had only talked for a little bit last night and it was all small talk. What could he have said, anyway? A smile was pulling the corners of his mouth so he looked down to hide the involuntary reaction. The second bell had not rung yet. Arthur sat down behind Alfred and took a deep breath. Alfred had noticed him do this before but had dismissed it. He turned around and smiled "Hey!" feeling confident enough to tackle the world.


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you get last night's homework? Math always kills me."

Arthur had to laugh at the severity of his American expressions. "Yes I did. But I'm not going to let you see it," he answered with a smile and surprising calmness. He was happy that the night had graced him with plenty hours of sleep. The look on Alfred's face caused a laugh to escape Arthur's lips. "Why not?" he whined. "Because isn't it better if you learn it yourself instead of copy off of someone else?" Arthur asked. A plan had worked its way into his head just moments ago. "Come on, dude. Just a little peak? I can not make a bad grade," with emphasis on the "not". With another smile, "Well how about you… I don't know… come over my house and we can study? And I'll give you the homework just this once." Arthur's hands were shaking in anticipation.

After a quick pause that seemed like an hour, Alfred nodded. "Okay! I'll walk home with you or something." Just then the bell rang signaling the start of first period. Arthur practically jumped at the sound and quickly handed Alfred the answers. He knew it was wrong to cheat and he would _never_ do this for anyone else but this was Alfred we are talking about. The Alfred who had just agreed to come over to his house! And then it hit him. What if Alfred is unimpressed by the small cozy home? What if he were expecting something better? Arthur had only worn his best clothes to school recently which didn't reflect the wear and tear of his real life. His mother would not be home to embarrass him but Francis certainly would be. This was going to be a problem.

Alfred was practically jumping in his seat the last twenty minutes of school. He could have sworn the second hand was moving even slower. Knowing his mother would never allow him to run off to a friends house, Alfred had texted her during lunch to say there was an after school assembly and he didn't know when he would be home. Not sure if his mother had actually bought it, Alfred just moved on with his day.

"Alfred, number seven please?" the teacher asked. It was English so Alfred barely even needed to know the question. He was really good at it. "um… whom. You would use whom instead of who." He said after quickly deciphering the problem. Fifteen minutes left to go…

Fifteen minutes later as the bell rang Alfred gathered his books, mentally telling himself to slow down. It would be weird for him to go running to Arthur's locker. He didn't even know where that was exactly. Being the last one to leave the classroom, he took his time and said good-bye to the teacher. Still looking behind he bumped into someone causing them to drop their books. Arthur had been waiting outside the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Alfred said as he quickly bent over to help pick up the books. Arthur dropped to the floor too. He was visibly blushing and it only got worse when their hands brushed each other's. "I-I'm fine!" he said batting the hand away to save himself from more embarrassment. Alfred and stepped back as he watched the small blonde scramble to collect the papers. Was this what made him annoying? Alfred thought it was cute. Wait… what was that last thought? He was still standing there looking slightly puzzled when Arthur brushed off his knees and said he was ready to go.

Both boys walked quietly at first on the way to Arthur's house. Arthur was preoccupied with what he would say to Francis and Alfred was still confused over his thoughts, which had kind of run wild by now. He was staring at the empty hand swaying at Arthur's side wondering how soft it was. A passing car snapped them both out of their dazes and Alfred made the first attempt at conversation.

"Sorry I walked into you again,"

"I-its okay," Arthur's cool had been all but lost by now.

"So what chapter are we going over? I think I had the most trouble with radicals,"

"We can go over those first them," Arthur was practically dying with the awkwardness of the situation. He just wanted to be home drinking a cup of tea. It would go perfect with this raining weather.

With a shiver, they rounded the corner that lead to Arthur's street. Up ahead, Alfred saw a pair walking home together. They were standing kind of close which made him assume it was a couple and didn't think anything of it until Arthur stopped at the same house the couple had. "Who was that?" Alfred asked with furrowed brows. "Its probably my brother Francis with one of his many attempts at a love life. Pay him no attention and he might leave you alone," Arthur replied sounding annoyed. Alfred noted the exasperated expression he wore.

Alfred looked at the house. It was small and covered in stone. Ivy was growing on one side of the roof as well as some sort of pink flower. It reminded him of the cottage in a storybook and he wondered what it was like inside. Probably very cozy. Warmer than his modern style, straight edge apartment at least. When the door opened, he smiled knowing he was absolutely right. This was a normal house for a normal family in a normal neighborhood and he loved it. That was, until he caught a good look at the people sitting at the counter. One was a boy who looked like Arthur, but taller and with longer hair, and the other being none other than Matthew Jones. "Mattie?"

All three of the people there turned to look at Alfred. Arthur was double taking between Alfred and Matthew while Francis was just smiling at Alfred. "Wh-what's going on?" Arthur asked. "That," motioning to Matthew, "is my twin, Matthew. Who definitely didn't tell me he was going home with a friend," Alfred answered.

"Um… But neither did you, brother."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"Give me a second!"

Alfred had just realized they were still standing in the doorway, and that the reason his mother had not been suspicious is because Mattie and him must have come up with the same excuse. Both had not been smart enough to remember their other twin but fortunately were close enough to come up with the same excuses. Shaking his head and brushing through he turned to Arthur who was still just standing there, dumbfounded. "You have a _twin?_" he finally asked. "Yeah! Haha sorry I thought I had told you!"

Arthur was having a hard time believing it. There were _two_ perfections?! Was such a thing possible? They really looked exactly the same. The only differences were their clothes and the fact that you could tell Alfred was more confident than his brother. Which was really quite attractive. Shyness was not a turn on for Arthur. He quite liked the idea of being saved. But he would never tell anyone that! "Well, little Artie, why don't you go up to your room and do whatever you were going to do. Matthew and I were just getting into quite an interesting conversation!" Francis said seeming quite pleased for some reason. "I told you not to call me that! Come on Alfred, lets go." And with that he took Alfred's hand and stormed up the stairs and didn't look back until the door slam shut.

A blush slowly spread across Arthur's face and he was heating up under his jacket and scarf. He was alone in his room with Alfred. _The_ Alfred. The one he over heard nearly all of the girls talk about. The one he had a growing crush on. Currently he was awkwardly shifting where he stood, looking around the room. "Well, we better get to studying. Shall we?"

Twenty minutes later they were buried in two books and a mountain of Arthur's notes. "…And so when I simplify this I get…13?"

"Yes! Good job! Do you mind grabbing me another piece of paper?"

"Sure thing, dude."

Alfred dug around in his bag quickly pulling out his notebook and handed it to Arthur. After a second Arthur gasped and Alfred looked up from the next problem to see what the problem was. Just then, the most terrible thought in the whole, entire world dawned on him. "Wh-what's th-this..?" And the fears were confirmed.

Alfred quickly snatched to notebook away and willed himself not to blush. "That was just uh…" he said, stalling as he went to get up. But Arthur put a hand on his shoulder as if to make him stay. "N-no. please. Tell me what it is," Arthur almost pleaded. He seemed to have hope in his eyes. But why in the world would that be there? With his heart pounding in his chest, Alfred slowly sat back down and thought of what to say. "Well I uh… you know dude… I was just sitting in class and got bored and… I like to draw so I did! And… it ended up kinda looking li-" he was cut off as a pair of soft lips met his. They stayed for only a second until they came back, this time with a hint of desire. Alfred was stunned. The feeling that filled him was like no other. With a shuddery sigh he realized his eyes were closed. He opened them to see a blushing Arthur.

With no better way to explain how he felt, Arthur had kissed Alfred. Twice. The first time was just to prove to himself that he could actually do it without being struck by lightning or something, while the second was to convey his message. It seemed to be the only way in his mind to tell Alfred he loved him at the time. Although he was immediately regretting it. Arthur had just realized that he had never taken Alfred's sexuality into account. He had no idea what kind of person Alfred liked! Odds were against him, though. He was always smiling back to those girls… "I..I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Arthur trailed off. He really did mean to, but still.

Alfred all the while was just trying to process his sensory over load. Things were starting to click in his head. Things like why he was always getting odd thoughts around Arthur, or the reason why he had drawn him, or the reason why he had actually texted him in the first place were being answered. It was all because of l-

Alfred couldn't take it. He couldn't take all of the aloneness he had suffered through his whole life. He couldn't take all of the things his parents had done. He couldn't take all of the friends he had never had. The reality of his life was crashing down on him. In the words of an American, he felt like shit. Suddenly his body moved on it's own. It pulled Arthur onto his criss-crossed lap and hugged him. It was Alfred's first real hug. It was his first connection to anyone outside of his family. It was real. And it was absolutely wonderful. It was the only thing that made his recent realization bearable. To keep himself from crying he smiled and laughed, burying his head into Arthur's shoulder.

"Ah! Eh…" Arthur had no idea what to do. He wasn't sure what was going on. Just three or four minutes ago he had been working on radicals with Alfred and now he was sitting in his lap, wrapped up in a warm and unexpected hug. It was certainly not a bad thing. He just wasn't sure how much of a good thing it was. "Are you okay…?"

Still laughing, Alfred looked up. Arthur saw a great deal of emotion in his eyes. "Hey, Artie? This is really weird and all but… do you think we could get to know each other more?"

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**A/N: my first author note… I hope you guys like the direction I'm taking this! I'm wondering if I should insert a little smut in the next chapter… You guys know best! Why don't you tell me? Also, shout out to my Finnish readers! I was surprised how many of you read my story! XD and I have a question for my readers in England. Do you like being called English or British or something else or what? my sister was begging me to ask that Review and Critique please! ^.^**


	5. Chapter 5

Several seconds of locked eyes passed before Arthur finally answered. It was a quiet whisper, barely audible. "Yes…" and with that he snapped back to his usual self.

"I-I mean… uh sure. N-now we should finish our work," he was attempting to hide the blush by scrambling to stack papers. Alfred released the smaller boy from his grip and watched him as he crawled about on the floor. After his sudden realization he felt oddly at peace. His heart warmed when he picked up his book and paper and set them to the side. "I think I got it already," he insisted, "so… can we start now?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Start what?"

"Getting to know each other!"

"What would you like to know?"

Alfred had no idea. Lots of questions were swirling around in his head. He wanted to know everything, really. His new friend was a mystery to him! Or was he more than a friend…? Alfred didn't know and frankly he didn't care as long as they were together. He could feel the hot grasp of possessiveness reaching out for Arthur. _I'll make him mine._

"Hm… What kinds of things do you like?" This was always a good thing to know.

"Well I like the rain, tea, Earl Gray to be precise, don't laugh… embroidery, fairy tails, magic…" Arthur trailed off. He couldn't understand why he was divulging this much to Alfred. To anyone in fact. But this train of thought was cut off when he heard muffled snickering from behind him. Arthur quickly turned around to see Alfred attempting to smother his laughing. Immediately he regretted saying anything. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LAUGH!"

Alfred had apparently given up trying to hide his amusement as he leaned backwards and hit his head on the bedpost, which only made him laugh harder. "Sorry dude! But you sound kinda like a grandma! Embroidery? I don't even know what that is!" Arthur just glared. "This." He said flatly as he pulled out a hoop with a stitched, green bunny about half way done in the center. Arthur thought it was adorable and couldn't wait until he finished it. He wasn't sure if he should be hurt by the laughing or just ignore it as part of Alfred's personality. He decided on the latter. After all, it was refreshing for someone to only laugh, and not punch him and call him gay. "Okay, okay. Next question! What do you not like?"

"That's easy. Francis, bullies, players, science, coffee, sc-" and he was cut off by a loud gasp. "You don't like _coffee_?! That's like… the food of the gods!" Alfred was paying more attention now than he had been since he first met Arthur. Unbelievable how an American can get so passionate over something that looked more like mud than a beverage. "Actually it would be _drink_ of the gods. Nectar."

"EXACTLY!" It was hard to believe this was a junior in high school. Arthur had to physically keep himself from face palming, although he secretly loved the enthusiasm over nothing.

"No! I was correcting you!"

"So you _don't_ like it?"

"Of course not!"

"Well then!" Alfred replied in his best 'stuffy queen' imitation. He knew this bothered most English people, so that was exactly why he did it. He liked seeing the flustered look on Arthur's face. Even more so than when he hid the syrup from Mattie at breakfast. Arthur just glared and turned away before Alfred could see the blush and smile that spread across his face.

For a while they talked back and forth about the things they liked and didn't like, told funny stories about their childhood, and talked about what they wanted to do with their lives. Arthur was dead set on teaching English to college students, and while Alfred was really good at English, it bored him. He wanted to be some kind of scientist that looked for aliens, or maybe blow up a few comets that were hurtling towards earth. It didn't matter. As long as he was doing something with space, he would be happy. Outside the rain poured and then finally let up. The setting sun was just starting to find some cloud break. Several times, the boys could hear laughter from downstairs. While all of this was going on, Alfred nor Arthur never brought up anything they felt to be private. Not the fact that Arthur was bored with his life and thought Alfred was perfect, or the reason why Alfred was purging or anything specific about his home life. They were both afraid of what the other would think. And eventually, when the sun was almost set, Alfred decided it was time he went home.

Matthew walked quietly behind Alfred on their way home. Alfred was going on about a movie he had seen. It was supposed to harbor some type of metaphor for how he felt about Matthew being with Francis, but it was either too complicated or too stupid to make any sense. "And so Robert Downey Jr. says…" Matthew was listening even less than before. He knew that Alfred was protective over him when the time came but he was also a little annoyed with the fact that Alfred was being such a hypocrite. Yes, that's right. Matthew was fully aware that Alfred and Arthur were in love and could only sit and wait as the sexual tension thickened. At least… that's how Francis had put it. Matthew had a feeling there was more to it than lust.

Over the next few weeks, Arthur and Alfred grew closer together. They talked about literally everything and debated nearly as much. Both parties hated calling it fighting but really, that's what everyone else called it. One day it was about tea verses coffee, the next it would be boxers verses briefs. All the while, not one word was said about anything personal. Nothing private was ever brought up. Not until one day…

"Ah! HEY! What the bloody hell?!" Arthur yelled as a shoulder threw him into a wall.

"Te gustan esos hermanos, eh?" came a smooth, accented response that Arthur couldn't understand. It was Antionio.

"What?" Arthur asked flatly. He and Antonio had gotten into something of a scuffle in middle school. Arthur had won but Antonio had never gotten over it.

"I said, you like brothers, eh? You and that exchange kid are pretty close, don't you think?" he replied, shoving Arthur again. "You sure he wants to hang around a fag like you? Come outside. Mi amigos want to have a chat."

Arthur only complied for the sole purpose of not causing a scene in the halls. He was seething as he followed Antonio to behind the school. The bricks were almost as red as Arthur's vision was becoming.

Waiting out back were Romano and Gilbert. Romano looked like he'd rather be chewing on glass while Gilbert was shifting his weight from right to left in anticipation. Arthur didn't have time for this. Alfred would be waiting for him. He might get worried if Arthur didn't show up to walk with him to lunch. "You got me out here. Now what the bloody hell do you twits want?" he asked. He could practically taste the venom in his words. "Eh, calm down. Just felt like catching up." A fist planted itself in Arthur's abdomen, completely betraying the carefree tone of Antonio's voice. "Yeah! Knock'em hard, Tony!" Gilbert called out. Romano simply uttered "Fag," and turned away. The word cut through Arthur sharper than the fist had.

He coughed as he tried to regain lost breath and leaned to the side before Antonio's knee could meet his face. He was doubled over and laying on the ground now, feebly shouting out profanities. "Sorry, amigo. I can't hear you. Maybe you should stop being such a freak." Antonio lifted him by his shirtfront only to punch him in the mouth. Arthur's lip was split and the blood dripped down his chin. All he could think was _What did I do wrong?_ He put all his strength into kicking at Antonio's legs but was forced to stop when he was slammed into the wall. Pain shot like lightning into his head and behind his eyes. Arthur caught a glimpse of Romano and Gilbert turning into another direction just before he fell to the ground and blacked out.

Alfred was getting impatient. _Where the heck is he?_ Alfred searched up and down the halls, by Arthur's locker, and even in the lunchroom but he wasn't there. Finally after heaving an annoyed sigh, he asked one of the girls that seemed to follow him around. "Hey Natalya. Have you seen Arthur anywhere?" she was sitting next to her brother Ivan and was in the process of trying to get him to sit just a little closer but stopped and blushed when she saw Alfred. "Oh um… yeah! He was with that Spanish kid! Ivan, what's his name?" Her gaze shot over to Ivan who just smiled sheepishly. "Antonio. Arthur followed him out those doors a little while ago," he said pointing. "Thanks you guys!" and Alfred jogged off to go meet up with Arthur. But what he saw practically made him throw up.

Arthur was limp on the ground, obviously unconscious. A tan boy, presumably Antonio, was standing over him in a full rage. Two other boys were behind him. One, slightly shorter than Antonio with brown hair, was nonchalantly peering over his shoulder looking slightly disgusted. The other boy was tall and trim with a weird paleness to him. He was laughing rather loudly and enjoying every moment he was there. Both of the two boys looked over at Alfred when he burst through the door. "Oh no. That is _not_ awesome," the pale one said. Alfred was quickly beginning to shake and burn up with rage.

"What the FUCK?!"

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**AN: Hello all. I think I might take a short break from this. I'm not happy with it and have other story ideas I want to work on. But I might keep up with it if I start to feel better about it… I'm just kinda losing faith. Oh well. Enjoy and REVIEW!**


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